Lukasha Dobrashinovich Kaveri
Lukasha Dobrashinovich Kaveri is the first main protagonist of Bodhi's erotica novel when the wings of butterflies freeze. He is an assistant set designer at a ballet in Saint Petersburg and longs to become a renowned artist one day; Luka hires prostitute Nina one night after failing to find a lover at a Saint Petersburg club. "It looks great on you already. Besides--I needed something new to strip off you next time we do indecent things against an opened window." (Lukasha to Nina after buying him a new sweater) Early Life Lukasha was born to Dobrashi and Lenya Kaveri, presumably in Saint Petersburg, Russia, where he was raised along with his older sister Zoia and younger brother Grisha. Growing up, Luka was closest to his paternal grandfather Alexei Kaveri, who shared revolutionist ideals inspired by the French Revolution with his grandson; Alexei had the largest influence on Lukasha, inspiring his open-minded, sympathetic character. He was also the only person who knew of Luka’s sexual preference before his passing when Lukasha was twenty-one. Along with much of Russia, Lukasha and his family grew-up in poverty, further worsened by his father’s rotten, negative attitude towards life. Lukasha finished high school and ended-up working as an assistant set designer by chance when Dobrashi recognized the ballet’s head designer on a subway train and begged the man for a job for his oldest son. Lukasha has lived in a small Saint Petersburg apartment since graduating. Personality Lukasha is a kind, charming, rather dorky young man with high hopes for a better life. Most often he acts optimistic towards his life situation but is occasionally known to take-on a more surging, revolutionary spirit whenever his frustration gets the best of him. Luka is a people pleaser, wanting to be liked by everyone he meets, usually met with success on account of his thoughtful, hard-working attitude. Nina has observed that Lukasha has a strong spirit, a determined soul and is especially selfless with those he admires; when around his lover, Luka is overly-attentive, devoted and tirelessly works to make Nina the happiest he can be. Appearance Lukasha is described as standing near 5’10 in height with long limbs and a slim body, losing some added muscles near the book’s end. He has pale green eyes that crinkle at the corners, messy and slightly curly brown hair, a strong jawline and a sly grin. His fingers are long and artsy looking, along with the rest of his features. Nina notes that Luka is fairly toned, especially his thighs and forearms, and that his extremity is well sized. Lukasha is often described as wearing skinny jeans, boots, long-sleeved t-shirts and black briefs. He also owns a teal, rainbow-striped sweatshirt, sweatpants, thick wool socks and a knitted yellow scarf. Relationships Nina Pavlov Lukasha is in a romantic relationship with Nina Pavlov, a male prostitute in several major Russian cities. Lukasha accidentally ran into Nina (also known as the alias Tamryn when prostituting) after stumbling into an alleyway, failing in his search to find a one night stand at Club Kseniya; Luka ended-up hiring Nina for one night, unknowingly becoming smitten with the male, feelings further created when the pair ran into each other at the Hermitage Museum. Once they developed a habit of coming together every other weekend, Lukasha's feelings grew romantic, as did Nina's; following a few emotional incidents (including the death of Luka's grandfather and an assault on Nina during a work transaction), Nina and Luka became friends, often referring to the other as their lover. Through the course of the novel, Lukasha finds himself becoming more and more attached to Nina, frequently taking the homeless teen in and fixing his injuries, both physically and mentally. Eventually, Lukasha's feelings become so strong he boldly asks a gravely ill Nina to move in and be his boyfriend; a relieved Nina tearfully agrees despite the dangers that come with being homosexuals in Russia. Luka cares very deeply for Nina, constantly worrying about his weight, mental state and career. Nina himself is surprised at how much Lukasha adores him, never quite understanding the depth of his boyfriend's admiration. Luka admits that he "fell like an idiot" the first time he saw Nina, allowing himself to fall deeper in love even though the odds were against him. Lukasha is always willing to sacrifice anything and everything for the sake of his lover, although his devotion and spoiling cause Nina great concern, such as when Lukasha bought him a brand new sweater when they were supposed to save their funds for moving to France. Alexei Kaveri Alexei is Lukasha's paternal grandfather and the only person who knew about his grandson's sexual preferences before his passing in late November at the age of seventy-eight. Alexei was Luka's best friend and confidant, frequently visiting and secretly reading books about the French Revolution with Lukasha. While Alexei was gentle and merciful towards his grandchildren, his son and Luka's father, Dobrashi, was not, making them constantly at odds with how Dobrashi was raising his family. Despite this, Alexei did his best in making Lukasha sensitive, telling him that while it was true some people had it worse, Luka's suffering still counted. On a few occasions, Alexei even protected Lukasha from his father's violence, such as when a child Luka accidentally broke the stove. Luka was devastated by the death of his beloved grandfather. Given Lukasha's cold relationship with the rest of his family, he was understandably feeling abandoned and lost following Alexei's passing; with Nina's help, Luka was able to get past his sorrow and make his grandfather proud by getting an assistant designer job in France, a country Alexei loved and envied for its freedom and cuisine. Kaveri Family Lukasha has a distant, tense relationship with the remainder of his close family. His father Dobrashi has been told as a cold, cynical and desperate man who wasn't afraid to resort to physical violence as a means of punishment. Dobrashi also showed little respect for his own parents, Alexei and Tatiana, whom Lukasha loved dearly. Little is known about the rest of Luka's family, including his mother Lenya, older sister Zoia and younger brother Grisha, but given Lukasha's annoyance at the mere mention or idea of being with them, it can be concluded that their personalities reflect Dobrashi's in some way. Luka never told his family about his relationship with Nina, knowing their reactions would be less than supportive. Trivia * Luka's full name is Kaveri Lukasha Dobrashinovich. * His birthday falls a few weeks before the novel takes place (in early November), somewhere at the end of October. * Along with Russian, Lukasha is also fluent in French and knows a bit of English from songs on the pop radio station. * His favorite color is lavender because it's a softer shade of purple, which is the color of his favorite flower, Hortensia. * One of Luka's favorite foods is the French peasant dish ratatouille. * Lukasha has four known kinks: hickeys, collars, whining and boys wearing skirts. * He has extensive knowledge on history and art, as shown when he and Nina walked through the French art section of the Hermitage. * Luka's deceased grandmother Tatiana knitted him a yellow scarf sometime before her passing. * The light blue shade of Lukasha's apartment walls remind him of his late grandfather's eye color. * Nina notes that his boyfriend's extremity size is above average. * Lukasha is a middle child, between his older sister Zoia and a younger brother, Grisha.